A
gyrodyne is a type of
VTOL aircraft with a
helicopter rotor-like system that is driven by its engine for takeoff and landing and also includes one or more conventional
propellers to provide forward thrust during
cruising flight.
Lift during forward flight is provided by a combination of the rotor, like an
autogyro, as well as conventional
wings. Due to a number of issues, there is some confusion over the term "gyrodyne", and the terms
compound helicopter and
compound gyroplane are frequently used to describe the same design. The gyrodyne is one of a number of similar concepts which attempt to provide helicopter-like low-speed performance and conventional fixed-wing high-speeds, including
tiltrotors and
tiltwings.
